Of Critical Theory and Its Theorists / Edition 2

by Stephen Eric Bronner

Overview

Of Critical Theory and its Theorists is an intelligent , accessible overview of the entire Critical Theory Tradition, written by one of the leading experts on the subject. Filled with original insights and valuable historical narratives, Of Critical Theory and Its Theorists covers the work of major philosphical thinkers such as Benjamin, Horkheimer, Adorno, Marcuse and Habermas and revisits the contributions of lesser-known figures such as Karl Korsch and Ernst Bloch. Bronner measures the writing of these theorists against each other, postmodernist philosophers and the critical tradition reaching back to Hegel. Of Critical Theory and Its Thoerists presents new insights useful to experienced scholars and offers clear summaries for students making this book an ideal introduction to the debates surrounding one of the most important intellectual traditions of the 20th Century.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780415932639
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	07/05/2002
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	334
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x (d)

About the Author

Stephen Bronner is Professor of Political Science at Rutgers University. He serves on the editorial boards of the journals New Politics and New Political Science. He is the author or editor of fifteen books, including Moments of Decision (Routledge, 1992), which won APSA's Michael Harrington Book Award.

Table of Contents

Introduction: From the First Edition to the Second 2. Sketching the Lineage: The Critical Methond and the Idealist Tradition 3. Karl Korsch: Western Marxism and the Origins of Critical Theory 4. Philosophical Anticipations: A Commentary on the Reification Eassay of Georg Lukacs 5. Horkheimer's Road 7. Reclaiming the Fragments: On the Messianic Materialism of Walter Benjamin 8. Political Aesthetics: Reflections on the Expressionless Debate 9. Dialectics at a Standstill: A Methodolgoical Inquiry into the Philosophy of Theodore Adorno 10. Fromm in America 11. The Anthropological Break: Aesthetics and Politics in the Work of Herbert Marcuse 12. Jurgen Habermas and the Language of Politics 13. Critical Theory and Civil Society 14. Points of Departure:Sketches for a Critical Theory with Public Aims

Editorial Reviews

A fine and probing piece of theoretical scholarship.

Contemporary Sociology

[Praise for first edition] A compelling account of the history of critical theory.A remarkable work.

Critical Sociology

[Praise for first edition 0-631-18738-3] A brilliant book!.

Ulrich Beck

Very well written, readily accessible and largely free of jargon. There is no other single work on critical theory that offers such a unique range of thinkers and their ideas.

Mort Schoolman

Bronner (poiltical science, Rutgers U.) ranges across many fields, from philosophy and aesthetics to politics and anthropology, to reconstruct the radical aims of critical theory and evaluate its successes, its failings, and its legacy. He also provides interpretations of critical theory's most important representatives, including Lukacs, Benjamin, Adorno, Marcuse, Fromm, and Habermas. Paper edition (unseen), $22.95. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Booknews

"[Praise for first edition]"A brilliant book!"-Ulrich Beck."
"[Praise for first edition 0-631-18738-3] A compelling account of the history of critical theory.A remarkable work.-Critical Sociology."
"Very well written, readily accessible and largely free of jargon. There is no other single work on critical theory that offers such a unique range of thinkers and their ideas.-Mort Schoolman, SUNY Albany."
"[Praise for first edition 0-631-18738-3] A brilliant book!-Ulrich Beck."
"[Praise for first edition] A compelling account of the history of critical theory.A remarkable work.-Critical Sociology."
"Very well written, readily accessible and largely free of jargon. There is no other single work on critical theory that offers such a unique range of thinkers and their ideas.-Mort Schoolman, SUNY Albany."
"A fine and probing piece of theoretical scholarship." — Contemporary Sociology
"Of Critical Theory and Its Theorists does not disappoint . . . A compelling account of the history of critical theory and a useful guide for advanced graduate students and scholars. Bronner's understanding of the dialectical method is exemplary, and his explanation of it is excellent. A remarkable work." — Critical Sociology
"Has the foundation of critical theory been withdrawn with the collapse of communism? Stephen Eric Bronner argues the opposite: only now, liberated from marxian dogmatism, can a genuine critique of modern society begin. He develops his ideas in an immanent and emancipatory confrontation with critical theory and its proponents. A brilliant book! Don't miss it!" — Ulrich Beck

From the Publisher